ADAM OLSEN - Our recycling system has been designed and marketed, to have us believe we don’t need to reduce consumption; you can just recycle the product
Earlier this summer, I invited people to participate in the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change Strategy consultation and engagement on plastic waste and recycling. British Columbians are good re-cyclers, but we need to do better and the Ministry is working to that end. I’ve discussed recycling, packaging, and plastic waste a few times in the pages of this blog, always with the perspective that the absolute best recycling we can do is none at all. By that I mean: first reduce consumption, then reuse items, and only after all that, recycle. Unfortunately, our recycling system has been designed and marketed to have us all believing that we do not need to reduce consumption because you can just recycle the product. This is reinforced by the next product you buy proclaiming in bold print that it was made with X% of recycled material. Congratulations! Well done! ... we have all contributed to creating a more circular economy rather tha...